Oriole — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Here is my one-sentence review: Oriole is one of, if not the top, culinary experiences money can buy in Chicago. I recommend going in fresh and enjoying the sensory spectacle! For the rest that want more details, I will try my best to convey my experience, however impossible. You need to experience yourself.

When first escorted into the dining space by our waiter, we saw the magnificent kitchen, designed by chef Noah Sandoval himself (we learned that from our knowledgeable and excellent waiter). The ceiling immediately caught my eye, a colorful collage of print media. It was a tribute to the history of the building (it once was a printing press, another fact we learned).

After we finally finished gazing at everything and settled in, the first few bites arrived. The first bite, a Miyazaki Tartare, played on duality: it was crispy and chewy, fatty and fresh. It was a tiny view of things to come, earning the gold medal from me of the three initial bites. The other two were great also, but that first bite lingers on my mind.

After the small bites came one of my favorite dishes of the night: the Hudson Valley Foie Gras. It was almost too mesmerizing to eat. Edible gold artfully decorated the leaf garnish with confidence. The richness and sweetness of the dish lit up my entire tongue with flavor, and the freshness of the greens was cooling, cleansing my palette and prepping me for the next plate. It was perfect.

We resumed our journey through several delightful dishes, each highlighting a myriad of flavors, aromas, and techniques. And then we arrived at the squab. I have had okay experiences with squab, and it is not a highlight of mine from previous tasting menus. My wife's mood, inversely, went even higher, as she loves it. Despite my hesitance, I took my first bite, and to my gleeful surprise, it was good! It was a BBQ-lite dish, getting that flavor from the squab as it hit my tongue, with a side of black-eyed peas further cementing the theme. I can't say I'm a squab convert, but given I enjoyed the flavors earns Oriole even more kudos from me.

The last of the hearty dishes was a mic drop. It was a flawless Miyazaki Wagyu garnished with freshly grated wasabi, morel mushrooms, and white asparagus. It delivered an explosion of flavor. The fattiness of the steak was uniquely balanced by the spicy punch of the wasabi, while the mushrooms and asparagus complemented the two-punch combo with a left hook of earthiness that knocked me to another dimension. This was a fine dining twist on steak with sides of vegetables, but it is the most elevated version of this pairing that I have had. The worst part was when I took my last bite, knowing what was coming: the finale. I wished I could prolong my indulgence in this gastronomic masterpiece. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and the first of the desserts signaled the beginning of the end.

Of the dessert trilogy closing the night, the lemon and sesame souffle was particularly brilliant. The bright citrus of the lemon cut through the cheesiness. Sesame seeds within the souffle provided a crunch to what could have been a minimalistic texture. Do I even need to mention the bake on the souffle? It came straight out of the oven, piping hot, but once cooled, was a mouthful of clouds. Light, fluffy, cheesy, citrusy, slightly crunchy, we were in a dream. The very last dessert concluded our meal intimately, with “Happy Anniversary!” inscribed with chocolate on the plate. Oriole went above my expectations to celebrate us, for which I am super thankful and appreciative!

In closing, thank you to the Oriole staff for the exciting evening made even more special with the recognition of our anniversary! The food was creative, outstanding, and downright delicious. The wine pairings were thoughtful. The service was exemplary. Oriole has set the bar for me of what fine dining can be and should be. I cannot recommend them enough to anyone looking to celebrate a special occasion or an amazing...

Oriole's chef and team made our 25th Anniversary such a fun and special evening. From the moment we walked into the newly remodeled space we knew we were in for something extraordinary! The team seemed genuinely happy to have us celebrate there.

Our meal began at the bar for three of the first courses, or bites as they called them. Those came with a lovely yuzu elixir meant to be sipped with all three. When you start with an amuse bouche of king crab and white truffle, I'm doing a happy dance! After was a langoustine w-asian pearl and coconut, and then a lobster dumpling.

Then you're escorted to the kitchen area where you stand for a beautiful foie gras & huckleberry course paired with a lovely glass of white wine. I didn't get the name of that one.

After that you move over to the dining room and spend the remainder of your evening at your table. We had a total of 11 savory courses and 2 desserts. Walked out absolutely and perfectly satiated. All of the savories came with their own wine (&1 sake) if you do the pairing--which i would absolutely recommend! It was absolutely lovely. Aaron, Sommelier extradinaire, paired everything beautifully. His excitement to share each wine, and his vast knowledge of them was apparent. It's nice to feel the excitement someone has for their craft. He also changed my mind about chardonnay! I never drink it. Hate it. We had a beautiful white burgundy from France, a Meursault, Domaine Bachey-Legros 2017 that was beyond lovely. I'm on the white burgundy train now! Thank you Aaron for helping me realize what we call Chardonnay in the U.S. is piss compared to what the French enjoy!

Everything was exquisitely prepared and an explosion of complimenting flavors in your mouth. Delicious and so so good. The stand-outs were the kaluga caviar w/razor clam & smoked butter; the sablefish with microplained koshihikari rice, pumpkin amazement & genmai! That came with a beautiful Japanese milk bread and Koji butter & a belly croquet and smoked roe--to die for! Lastly, the Japanese A5 Miyazaki Wagyu w-black garlic, black trumpet mushroom & Wasabi was heaven on earth. The deserts were perfect, as was the beautiful little end of hazelnut nougat & gianduja. The cappuccino was even perfectly crafted. We also have bon bons we took home!

Can't say enough about this great restaurant-- Chef Sandoval also has great taste in music! We were pleasantly surprised when we began to hear Mulatu Astatke, an Ethiopian artist, being played. Music is an important part of the experience and so many places treat it like an after-thought. The music posters on the ceiling in the kitchen show his great and eclectic taste in music. The entire vibe was just cool. Loved being in the space. Thank you for a beautiful evening in every way! We look forward to coming back. In our book, you deserve 3...

After being open only a bit more than a month, Oriole is already in contention for best restaurant in Chicago, which also makes it a contender for best in the US.

Nearly every one of our sixteen courses was a home run–so much so that it’s hard to pick standouts. Form the first bit of langoustine topped with caviar, each course offered an impressive array of flavors, sometimes merging into a complex whole, and at other times exploding sequentially on the palate revealing one ingredient after another.

The alteration of courses from rich to refreshing and back again kept our palates fresh. Portion sizes were just right, so that we never felt over-stuffed (although we would have happily consumed another six orders of just about anything we were served!)

Rather than attempt to describe individual courses, which change anyway, let me just list those items that topped those I’ve had at the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the world: Sea urchin, foie gras, Alaskan king crab and Japanese A5 Wagyu. Each of these provided a mind-blowing complexity that forced one to stop and consider what was going on in each bite, and each event on the plate. For example the charred lettuce that accompanied the Wagyu was so phenomenal it almost upstaged the Wagyu, which was the best piece of Wagyu I’ve ever tasted.

As with many tasting menus, the last four courses are desserts, and some members of our party don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Let me just say that not one crumb survived. The desserts provided terrific variety, were never cloying, and were paired with wines that had very controlled sugar and acid levels, keeping our palates fresh and interested until the very end.

With only about a dozen tables arranged in ample space, the dining room is stylish yet comfortable. Soothing colors and rough brick walls contrast with retro hanging lamps, and a spotlight on each table shows off the food to its best advantage. A glass wall separates the dining room from the kitchen, although it certainly isn’t needed for noise abatement, as there is no kitchen commotion from the many chefs working their magic.

Service is professional yet welcoming, without the stiff affectations of some top restaurants. We were particularly impressed with our sommelier, whose extensive knowledge and passion for the wines on the tasting fight was matched by his deep understanding of the ingredients in each dish and how they matched his selections.

While Oriole is not inexpensive, it offers an astonishing value given the perfection of...